Steve Alford Quotes

But I noted with real satisfaction how well ex-footballers seemed to have leadership qualifications . . . I believe that football, perhaps more than any other sport, tends to instill in men the feeling that victory comes through hard - almost slavish - work, team play, self-confidence, and an enthusiasm that amounts to dedication.

I always tried to be a guy that plays hard and was committed to giving his all, on and off the court. So that's something I'm really proud of.

It's easy to be patient because you have a guy in the room like Eli Manning who comes in every day, one of the first people in the building and one of the last ones to leave and he's been in the league as long as he has. So that's what it takes to continue to get better, and he sets the standard, and I need to reach it.

Talk is cheap, but when you go out there and prove it - you're the first one to show up for practice, and you're the last to leave - that's how you lead by example.

Rick Tocchet is what I call a warrior. He really brings a lot to a team because he really believes in team play. He's tough on himself and he's tough on the team. As a coach, if you had even one guy like him on your team, you'd have a heckuva chance to do your job well.

An important mentor for me, in terms of teaching me that there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, was probably my football coach. And playing football was one of the first times in my life that I realized nothing is given to you. You have to work really hard.

I'm an athlete who's very determined and I understand sacrifice.

A lot of fans were drawn to me because they knew that whatever the score was, I was going to run as hard as I could on every play. You don't have that now, you have guys waiting for next week or even next year.

It's cool. You can laugh about it, but at the same time you can't really get caught up in it because you're here for a job and it's to win football games. Being on this team, being with the head coach here and the quarterback we have keeps you humble. It keeps you hard working. You can laugh and giggle about stuff, but then at the same time you've got to make sure you're prepared and practicing hard still.

The best thing I ever learned in life was that things have to be worked for. A lot of people seem to think there is some sort of magic in making a winning football team. There isn't, but there's plenty of work.

If you asked Rahul Dravid to walk on glass for his team, his only question would be - 'How many miles?' That just shows you how great a man he is.

My work ethic is from sports.

A lot of the lessons that are taught in football will promote success in anything you get into after football; for me, it just happens to be music. Being disciplined. Good character. Trying to do the right thing, and working hard.

Football, that's just athletics. But in the business world - doing everything - people are competing. So you need good work ethics, and I think it helped me to develop good work ethics, being in a small town.

I want to see a player on the football field. I want to see what kind of teammate they are, what kind of leadership qualities they have. I want to see how aggressive they are, how much fun they have playing the game.

Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

I think any football is a guy that is able to one, be able to be humble and hungry off the field, but at the same time on the football field understand what they have to get done and be a little bit ferocious.

In order to gain the respect of your players in the locker room, you can't just perform on Saturday. You have to do it consistently during practices, meetings, and in the weight room.

I like to let my work ethic speak for itself, just things of that nature, like the way I go about practice and show these guys how to do it.

Football taught me how hard you had to work to achieve something.

Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.

Sport has given me drive and discipline. It also taught me to remain humble.

I was able to really see that connection as a football player where success requires a lot of hard work and effort, physically and mentally.

Guy Lewis was all about efficiency. He was a great motivator. He got real talent and taught his players how he wanted them to play: hard and aggressive!

When you work for Pat Riley, you're not just putting your hands on the basket and hanging out during practice. He puts you in positions where you have to coach. You have to be enthusiastic and fierce with your preparation and work ethic.